Kakatiya University was established on 19th August 1976 to fulfill the aspirations of the Telangana people for higher education. It is located in the historical city, Warangal, the erstwhile seat of the Kakatiya rulers. The founding of the University was in fact a historic event that heralded a new era in the realms of higher education in this region. The erstwhile Post-Graduate Centre of Osmania University was upgraded and named Kakatiya University. The University, began its journey as PG Centre Warangal in 1968 under the aegis of Osmania university with only four Departments, viz. Telugu, English, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The Departments of Physics, Botany, Zoology, Commerce, Public Administration, and Economics were added later. The B. Pharmacy course which was started by Osmania University in 1974 was shifted to KU in 1975.

The development of the University over the years has been gradual but impressive. The University was initially accredited with a ‘B+’ grade by the NAAC in 2003 and reaccredited with an ‘A’ grade in 2009. It occupied the 38th position in national level rankings by India Today-Nielsen Survey. The University, situated in a sprawling area of about 640 acres, has seven colleges on campus, with a network of 18 constituent, 529 Affiliated colleges. It has Post-Graduate Colleges at Subedari (Hanamkonda), Nirmal, Khammam, Jangaon, Jayashankar Bhoopalpally, Mahabubabad, and University Engineering College at Kothagudem. Among the affiliated colleges, the University has 395 Arts & Science; 3 Law; 8 Engineering; 53 Education; 38 Management; 8 MCA, and 24 Pharmacy colleges under its jurisdiction.